Gioia’s Rec:
This is among those stories I’ve loved well enough to read multiple times. There is a very different path here which Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth must traverse, but all the significant points from canon which were necessary for their character development all well covered. The story opens with Mr. Darcy having sustained an injury which goes a long way toward not only humbling him, but allowing him to see the compassionate nature of Elizabeth, particularly when contrasted with the insincerity of Miss Bingley.

I am not marking Eye of the Beholder as AU since everything in canon does occur, up until the Meryton Assembly.

My only critique: I’m so angst-phobic that I must confess that, even knowing the story had a happy ending, I was in agony at one point and could hardly stand not to skip ahead to the end. Also, I really did not care for Mr. Bingley at the end of this story. However, in both cases, neither of these quibbles can be remotely considered a criticism of the author or her talent. In fact, I wouldn’t have become such an emotional basket-case if not for the author’s gift in writing such a captivating and emotionally-evocative story.